Shock
by xgraciela
Summary: Harry/Perry - pre-slash. Once again written for a prompt at KKBB meme. Harry has a car accident and Perry gets an unpleasant call.. Rated for the ususal f-bombs.
1. Chapter 1

Perry was between paperwork and another call from his client when the phone rang. He checked the caller's ID - _Harry_. He sighed and a whole bunch of stupid reasons for the call ran through his head. He wondered what Harry could have wanted and picked up the cell.

"Yeah?"

There was no definite answer at first, just a very harsh breathing and some background noise which Perry couldn't decipher.

"What? Harry, what the hell?" He asked sternly, pissed that it was some kind of a stupid joke, but a small stab of...was it worry?...nagged his mind. This was something Perry was not standard. From Harry there was always the never ending flow of words even while on the phone. This ability to babble was very annoying, but it was also something stable, which Perry was used to after almost year of their partnership.

It also made him smile from time to time, but he would never admit it to anyone starting with Harry. So now the weird silence was more than alarming for him as it could only mean something bad.

"Harry?!" He asked again, more forcefully this time.

Just some accelerated breathing was audible instead of the response. But before Perry could ask or more likely _yell_ again, there was _something_ after all.

"Perry...crash...I...it's...--" The words continued to flow in the same style for a while and Perry had to try really hard to understand at least some bits. The main feeling for him at the moment was shock and three points - _Harry, accident and the name of the street_.

How he could understand that through the sobbing, he didn't know. But 'Harry' and 'accident' repeated in his head at least ten times, before he started responding - slowly and somewhat gently this time. He had to make sure what happened. That, and if there was any need for Perry to start panicking - not that he was far away from it already and this fact alone was making him nervous.

"Harry? What? What accident? What happened!?" Even though he tried not to, Perry realized he was sounding very adamantly, but Harry didn't seem to notice. The sobbing only grew louder and no more words came out.

That made Perry really worried.

"Harry? Are you crying? Talk to me, okay?"

It sounded as if Harry was trying to respond, but no words came out.

Perry had enough. He ran through the apartment, grabbed his jacket, gun - don't ask him why - and car keys, the phone still tucked between his shoulder and ear.

"Harry, I'm coming, okay? Fifteen minutes top. Is there...did someone call the ambulance?" It was stupid to ask such question, but Perry was a little out of his mind so he didn't care.

"Uh-huh." Slurred reply came back and more sobbing followed.

"Fiftee-- Ten minutes, Harry!"

Perry hang up and stormed out of the building, unlocking his car with remote on his keys. Once inside, he decided it was better safe than sorry and called another ambulance for the street of the name which Harry got out of himself earlier.

"What!? Fifteen minutes? You are supposed to help people! Not leave them bleed to death on the fucking street!" He snapped at the dispatcher roughly. He stopped the flow of his insults abruptly - this wasn't him! When he became such an ass...and wimp?

"I'm sorry. Yeah, I know you are doing your best. Yeah, thank you."

He ended the call and concentrated on the ride, which wasn't really easy. Crazy images and worst-case scenarios were playing before his eyes. _Harry_ laying on the pavement, bleeding and unconscious. _Harry_ trapped in his car - Perry shouldn't have let him buy it! _Harry..._

"Fuck!" He spitted, when one car tried to overtake him. It only made him push the gas pedal lower, maybe even through the ground. Later, he wondered how it was possible that any fucking cop from the neighborhood had attempted to chase him.

He almost run through the crossroad at the red light. Cursing like mad when he had to brake all of a sudden, causing the _idiot_ behind him to hoot.

Perry wondered if he should let Harmony know. After all, she was Harry's girlfriend - at least he thought so, because he really had no interest in his love life. Or better to say - he tried not to, but just couldn't help it and ended up feeling jealous every time he saw them together.

He felt his heart beat faster when he neared the accident site. The blue and red light were visible from a great distance, because the sun was long time gone behind the horizon.

Perry thanked the God he didn't believe in for making someone call the ambulance sooner than he did.

Police tapes were wrapped around the place and he couldn't see much from his position because of a group of cars, which were waiting here for the street to get unblocked, and a small pack of bystanders between them.

He halted sharply and jumped out. Harry's car was nowhere to be seen, but that was the last of Perry's interests right now. He ran towards the nearest ambulance and scanned the surroundings for any signs of blood and dead bodies lying around.

"Hello, I'm--" He stopped himself, because his P.I. card wouldn't make much sense here. "That doesn't matter. I'm looking for a...friend. He was probably involved in this accident." Perry pointed to nowhere with his right hand, indicating the place around them. He hated that his voice was tight and not very stable.

"Small with black hair?" The paramedic asked.

Perry nodded quickly and felt his throat tighten even more and he really loathed himself at the moment for displaying so many emotions.

"Other ambulance." The man pointed to the van standing nearby. "But it's bad, I'm sorry." He threw Perry an apologetic glance, but then continued in his work on the young lady who was sitting on the stretcher and holding her arm tenderly.

Perry's heart almost made its way out of his chest on the short way to the second ambulance. It was really dark and he didn't notice the damaged cars on his left. He could see only the other stretcher in front of him and two doctors making sure the person on it would live. A cold shiver ran through his spine when Perry realized that he probably found Harry.

"Sir! You can't be here, sorry!" One of the paramedics was trying to hold Perry behind the tape.

"But that's my friend!" He pointed to the stretcher and added, his voice more and more tense, "He called me before you got there, I need to see him!"

The other man was considering his words for a while and that gave Perry the chance to break free and get nearer to the ambulance and to _Harry_ even though the man started shouting at him only seconds after. Perry didn't listen and stopped a few feet from to the doctors, suddenly afraid to face the truth.

* * *

_tbc_

As always, thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

"Sir! It's impossible. This one was unconscious long before we arrived, he couldn't have called you." The man caught up and laid a hand on Perry's shoulder.

"What? But your colleague over here said..." Perry pointed back to the other ambulance, but stopped himself, deciding he had to see with his own eyes.

Tons of weight flowed away from his chest when he didn't recognize the poor guy who was fighting for his life. 'Thank God' Perry mouthed, but instantly his worries grew again._If this is not Harry, then where is he?!_

"You said he'd called you, right?"

Perry nodded quickly and threw a hopeful glance in the other man's direction.

"I think we got him as well." He paused but obviously instantly regretted it when he saw the look on Perry's face. "No, no, no. Don't worry. He's good. We checked him over and there's only a big gash on his temple which would need stitches, but otherwise he seems to be fine." He paused again. "At least physically."

Perry felt a great relief wash over him, but then frowned uncomprehendingly.

"Come with me." The paramedic said and led him to the opposite side of the vehicle.

There Perry saw him. Harry was sitting in the open door of the ambulance, hunched and wrapped in a blanket they gave him. He was shivering and tears were still visible on his face. He was looking at nothing and sniffed from time to time.

Perry eyed him nervously. "Harry!" He approached him slowly, still feeling unbelievably huge relief coursing through his veins.

"He's probably in shock. His car apparently only got mildly struck when the other two crashed together. You can take him for stitching to the hospital yourself if you want. This here--" The man pointed back to the stretcher. "will take a bit longer."

"Thanks." Perry said - not just to be polite - he really meant it.

The man nodded and went back to help the doctors. That left Perry and Harry alone.

Harry still hadn't responded, but the sobbing seemed to cease. He raised his head as if only registering Perry in that moment. The gash on his forehead was nasty, but the bleeding subsided already. There was a makeshift gauze stuck to it, yet the right side of his face was rather bloody.

"Harry?" Gently, Perry tried again and smiled lightly. "Come here..." He whispered and sat down next to him, crushing him in embrace. Then he waited for some sort of response. Harry just sniffed and scooted closer to him. He must have been still in shock.

"Every grey hair I have is your fault." Perry accused him, but his voice was kind.

Harry sniffed again and hiccuped.

"Tell me what happened?"

Harry nodded, but no words came out. In different situation, Perry would have laughed at him and call him idiot. Tonight it just wasn't right.

"Okay, what about going to my car? I have to take you to the hospital to get your dim head checked out, chief." Perry slipped into his role just for Harry's sake. He needed normalcy now as it seemed and Perry could have sworn that he felt him smile next to his shoulder.

" 'kay." Harry snuggled even closer to him. That Perry wasn't used to, but it almost felt nice. Definitely tonight.

"Can you walk?"

Another nod. And the sobbing was less pronounced.

They made their way towards the car, ignoring the bystanders who were eying them curiously, because Harry stayed rather glued to Perry's arm and still had the hospital blanket around his shoulders.

Perry seated him to the passenger side and buckled him up.

"My car! We have to--" Harry started once Perry was inside as well.

"Don't worry about it, okay? I'll make sure it gets to the service."

Harry nodded absentmindedly and started wiping his face with the left sleeve, smearing the half-dried blood all over himself.

"Stop it, that's not a good idea." Perry started the car and made an u-turn, heading to the hospital.

Harry looked at his - now half-red - sleeve and nodded, looking out of the window stoically. Perry wanted to leave him in peace at least until they would get out of the fucking hospital - third time this month already, not that Perry was counting it.

In the waiting room, Perry was feeling nervous again, because Harry had had such a frightened look on his face when the nurse had come to take him to the examination room. But Perry didn't want to explain to her the whole incident and why he should go with his friend inside, so it left him in the waiting area alone and with unpleasant thoughts.

When Harry got out, the blanket was away and a neat row of stitches was decorating his temple with a two butterfly band-aids holding it together. It seemed that Harry had been crying again, but probably just from the discomfort before they had numbed the skin.

"The brain still inside?" Perry joked, but it felt stiff and inappropriate even to him. It seemed to cheer Harry up anyway and made him smile, if only faintly.

The ride home was quiet, because Perry was concentrating on not getting them killed and Harry felt asleep from the exhaustion.

"Hey. Good morning!" Perry woke him up, gently, once at home. Harry seemed disoriented for a while, but apparently everything snapped back in place when his face darkened and a frown formed on his brow.

They got inside and Perry seated him on the couch.

"I'm right back, just wait a minute."

Harry nodded and scratched his arm.

Perry reappeared with a big blanket over his hand, a pot of tea and Harry's pajamas - or to be precise a t-shirt and his favorite sweatpants.

"Here, change your clothes. These are ruined." Perry pointed to the blood on the sleeve.

Harry complied and then seated himself back down. The comfy blanket appeared around his shoulders and then Perry pushed the steaming mug into his hands.

"Drink. It's chamomile - good for nerves." He shrugged and waved away Harry's questioning glance.

"I just know it, okay? My mum used to prepare some when I was feeling bad." Perry added quietly and sat down.

"It's terrible." Harry made a face after the first gulp.

"It won't kill--" Perry paused, because his own words made him cringe. "..you." He finished through gritted teeth.

Harry scooted closer. "What happened?" He asked and looked at Perry with his big dark eyes, which seemed still somewhat scared from the bad experience tonight.

Perry threw him an amused glance.

"That should be my question, don't you think?"

Harry shrugged again. "You know what happened to me, but _you_ are acting nice..." He downed more of the tea with a grimace and continued. "...and that's weird."

Perry smiled slightly.

"You scared me, chief. Don't do it again, okay?" He decided to let it be at this point, because his emotions felt weird enough tonight. Fortunately, Harry seemed to comply.

"I'll try."

"But it wasn't my fault!" He quickly added and Perry was glad that Harry was finally ready to talk about his accident and get it out his system.

"Harry?"

"Hm.."

"Tell me what happened." Perry wanted so badly to grab him and crush him in embrace once more, but was too scared that Harry would freak out and never talk to him again._Fuck the stupid emotions!_

So Harry told him. Like he heard the terrible smash and could only watch how the car which was overtaking him crashed into the oncoming vehicle and then the wrack was thrown in Harry's direction, pushing him out of the road.

"Then my car struck the light pole and that's how I got the gash." He patted his forehead slightly. "My head hit the side window and it was half-opened, so.." He sighed and rested his head on the pillow behind him.

"You really scared me with the call."

" 'm sorry." Harry mumbled. "Was just fucking nervous." He threw his hands in the air theatrically. "The car was going to hit me...I knew it...I was just going to Harmony..."

Perry frowned.

"You should let her know." Perry hated himself for saying it, but it was for Harry's sake. He checked his watch. "She's probably waiting for you by now."

It was Harry's time to frown.

"Why should I tell her? She doesn't wait for me - I just wanted to surprise her. And we're not together." He added quickly.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?" Perry sounded surprised.

Harry shook his head. "I mean, we are not together - together. It's more like friends than together. And I think we've never been more than that. "

It was weird, but after everything what had happened that evening, this made Perry smile and all his weird jealousness vanished.

"You are an idiot, but I'm glad you are in one piece." He leaned in and hugged Harry quickly before letting go again. Even though the embrace was fast, it obviously made Harry feel better and conjured a smile on his face. And that was enough for Perry.

"You care for me." Harry pointed out a few seconds later, sounding surprised.

"Yeah." Perry confirmed more quietly than usual for him.

"Thanks."

They both felt silent after that, but stayed on the couch for the night. Harry sleeping on Perry's shoulder and Perry feeling more content than he had in years.

* * *

**~End**

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